


god amongst men

by brucewaynery



Series: drabbles [11]
Category: DCU, Marvel
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brucewaynery/pseuds/brucewaynery
Summary: Even further behind Nick is another man, around Tony’s age, in a three-piece he knew Tony would have appreciated.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark & Bruce Wayne
Series: drabbles [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599118
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	god amongst men

**Author's Note:**

> this is. a niche.

Even further behind Nick is another man, around Tony’s age, in a three-piece he knew Tony would have appreciated. No tie, of course. Earlier, Alfred had held up two different ones that would have matched perfectly. He’d almost cried then.

A younger man, almost subconsciously, tightens his hand around his father’s, trying to offer, or gain, some comfort. It’s the closest both of them had come to crying in a long time.

A long time ago, Bruce Wayne had been jealous of Tony Stark. Not when their companies were competing and Wayne Enterprises stock dipped below Stark Industries, or when he was ahead in clean energy, not when he had parents and he didn’t, not when it seemed like the world had put so much damn responsibility on Bruce’s shoulders and next to none on Tony’s, but the way he’d looked at life, the way he’d stared it right in the face, grinned and taunted it to challenge him, throw whatever it could toward him, and a constant promise that he’d be there, throwing something right back.

Bruce has seen Tony at his worst, during the winter of ‘91 and the following decade, when he’d put everything and anything in his body without a care of quality or quantity or if he’d wake up the next day. Bruce was there when he got his stomach pumped, both times, he’d seen what the palladium did to him, he’d watched him fall from the sky all those years ago, but none of those times had Bruce really, truly believed that Tony Stark would die.

He doesn’t know when his friend had become immortal, become a god amongst men.  
He’s half expecting him to jump out of the bushes with a grin and tell the crowd not to be so sombre, it’s a lovely day, after all.

Bruce stopped believing in magic a long time ago, so he can’t fathom why he’s disappointed when Dick tugs him away, when the sky has, inexplicably, turned dark and the stars, so much more than you could see in Gotham, shine bright.

They walk to the car in silence and both slip into the back. Bruce is thankful that he asked Alfred to drive them. He’s not sure that he, or Dick, could’ve driven safely.

Dick’s seen Bruce cry so few times in the time that he’s known him, and he can barely remember the last time he had, he’s almost forgotten that he _could_. He’s trying to hide it by facing away, looking out the window, but his shaking shoulders and the tears that glisten on his jaw give it away.

**Author's Note:**

> i think this aptly summarises abt 1/5 of the feelings i have about them. you?


End file.
